The thing of it is, my most favorite week of the year is also my very busiest week too. The week after Thanksgiving before the first weekend in December is always a time full of rehearsals for our Church’s Christmas concert.

Whenever this week rolls around, I’m reminded of how much I love our church and the people we get to make music with at North Shore Fellowship all year long. My heart is so full from spending time with these amazing musicians and I’m filled to overflowing…

Specifically, over the last several years, I have ended up overflowing with – you guessed it- Cake. Lots of cake. Coconut Rum Cakes to be exact. I bake them up during the week; then, I take them to the final dress rehearsal and deliver them to our friends who are a part of our big NSF musical family. To be sure, I can’t make one for everyone every year – but I try to make as many as I can for these dear people who we love so very much. This year I made six.

Typically everyone loves them – its a huge favorite and I get texts the next day about people eating cake for breakfast or enjoying their piece by the fire. And while I believe them that it is good – I think its the big dose of love that I toss in that makes it taste so delicious.

It’s true with every gift that is given at Christmastime. It’s the love, not the gift itself that makes the difference. I’m telling you this in case you decide to make this cake for family or friends this year – You’ll need to add a big helping of love while you mix the batter and boil the glaze.

Now, lets get down to the business at hand: Coconut Rum Cake. I’ve edited the recipe I posted originally 7 years ago, to reflect what I actually do now. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if you decide to make it! Don’t forget the love!

COCONUT RUM CAKE

Cake ingredients:

1 golden yellow cake mix ( I ALWAYS use Duncan Hines.)

1 3.5 oz box of jello instant coconut cream Pudding

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup coconut rum

Cake instructions:

Preheat oven to 325. Prep a bundt pan with Pam baking spray. Combine the cake ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix on medium for 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for roughly 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and poke holes all over the “top” of the cake. Start the glaze now, while cake begins to cool.

Glaze ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup spiced rum

Glaze instructions:

Combine butter, water and sugar in a sauce pan – melt butter and bring to a boil, stirring once in a while. Boil mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum to the mixture. Once it is combined, pour about half over the cake, into the holes and down the sides. (I always run a knife gently around the edges of the cake, to loosen it from the pan and let the glaze run down). After you’ve poured the first half of the glaze onto the cake, let it cool for about 30-45 minutes. Next, turn the cake out of the bundt pan and pour the rest of the cake over the top of the cake.

Hello, friends.

I haven’t blogged in a while. 22 months to be exact. A lot has happened in those 22 months and I just haven’t been able to bring myself back to Daily Portion.

But, I’m here- I’m tip-toeing back on to my blog and in my teeny-tiniest voice I’m saying – I *think* I *might* be ready to share again.

What I can tell you: over these last months God’s Word has remained true more than ever! These words are so good for my heart…

Lamentations 3:22-25 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him!”

I may not get something posted daily. (I do realize that’s the opposite of my blog title – but honestly, “weekly portion” just doesn’t sound right.) My hope is to share a recipe with its anecdote or an encouraging thought at least weekly. Mostly, I want to get back to finding courage to share God’s goodness with whoever needs to read it here.

Let’s journey together.

Love, Melody.

One of my favorite photos from this past fall at Cade’s Cove.

Cake #48 was more of a concept I’m going to share with you, rather than an actual recipe, I guess.

I made two in different flavors, and both were super delicious!  I WILL be making these again!  I made a Chocolate Whoopi Bundt and a Pumpkin Caramel Whoopi Bundt.

Here’s what I did:  I made 2 of my favorite cake recipes. Once they were cooled I cut the cakes in half horizontally.   Then I spread cream filling over the bottom layer and topped with the second cake layer.  For the Chocolate Whoopi Bundt, I topped the cake with a ganache.  I included the ganache recipe below.  On the Pumpkin Whoopi Bundt I drizzled my yummy caramel bourbon sauce.

In my case I added cinnamon to the cream that I made for the pumpkin cake, and vanilla to the cream that I made for the chocolate cake.

Here’s the recipe for the cream, and I have to tell you – it is one of the best things I’ve made all year!  I could have eaten the whole bowl of filling with a spoon!  De-Lish!!!

Whoopi Pie Bundt Cream

10 Tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (7 oz.) carton marshmallow creme
pinch of salt
1½ tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Whip butter and marshmallow cream together, slowly add vanilla, salt and powdered sugar.  Add the sugar in small portions until you have the desired consistency

Chocolate Ganache:
½ c. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
3 Tbl. whipping cream

Place chocolate in a bowl, heat cream in microwave or on stove until bubbly, then pour over the chocolate.  Let stand for 3-4 minutes and then stir until smooth  and ready to spread on cake.

In the fall, I look forward to all things pumpkin.  Specifically, I love my Grandma Brubacher’s pumpkin pie, which has very strong maple overtones.  It is my favorite!

So, this week, my cake is a tribute to Grandma B’s pie.  And, really, it turned out beautifully! Unlike so many of the others I’ve gotten to taste his one and I think it may be a keeper!

here’s what I did:  I used last week’s pumpkin cake recipe, but made a few changes.

Ingredients
FOR CAKE:
2 and ¼ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. salt
1 and ⅓ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp maple extract
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
3 eggs (I use extra-large)

extra cinnamon sugar for the pan.

browned butter frosting:

1/2 cup butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp maple flavoring
a few tsp of cream

Melt and brown the butter until the butter gets a nutty fragrance and begins to brown, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, then add add the cream and wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Pour warm frosting over cooled cake.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a Bundt pan (I use a Bundt pan with 10 to 11 cup capacity) with Baker’s Joy (or grease and flour). Then create a coating by sprinkling a thick layer of cinnamon sugar all over the inside of the pan.  Set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Mix pumpkin, buttermilk, vanilla and maple extract in another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and a large bowl), beat the butter and sugars until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures, alternating (beginning and ending with flour mixture). Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for about 60 minutes (I recommend checking at 45-50 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (crumbs on the toothpick are okay since it should be moist). Cool about 10 minutes and remove from pan. Then frost.

Guys!  I’ve been baking a cake a week for 43 weeks now.  Truly, some weeks have been more stellar than others.  Some cakes have been delightful, others not so much!  But this week’s is divine!  It’s that simple!  The crumb was perfect and the flavor was just what I was looking for in a pumpkin – fall – flavored cake.  This one definitely rates pretty high up there on the keeper list!

(I found this recipe on Pinterest, on the cozycakescottage blog! However, I did a few things to make it my own, and I did not make a frosting this time. )

Ingredients
FOR CAKE:
2 and ¼ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
¾ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
1 and ⅓ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
3 eggs (I use extra-large)

extra cinnamon sugar and pecans for the pan.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a Bundt pan (I use a Bundt pan with 10 to 11 cup capacity) with Baker’s Joy (or grease and flour). Then create a coating by sprinkling a thick layer of cinnamon sugar all over the inside of the pan.  Sprinkle chopped pecans win the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Mix pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and a large bowl), beat the butter and sugars until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures, alternating (beginning and ending with flour mixture). Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for about 45 minutes (I recommend checking at 40 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (crumbs on the toothpick are okay since it should be moist). Cool about 10 minutes and remove from pan.

I dare you to let this one cool, but I bet you’ll find you need to eat this one warm!!!

This week brought around a unique opportunity to bake for a brunch we were having for our Sunday School teachers at church.  Our children’s minister asked for people to bring food – and so, I thought it would be fun to sign up and bring a Bundt cake!  But what to bring???  I found what sounded like a yummy recipe online – Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake.

The recipe had all the ingredients to make it moist and delicious, so I thought I should try it!  I had second thoughts about the whole thing since I was baking it for a lot of people and I’d never made it before.  I used to believe I should never bake something for a crowd that I had never tried before.  Well, I’ve had to get over that this year, right? I’m giving away new cakes that I’ve never tasted to people and I have to be okay with it!

Snickerdoodle – normally is a yummy light, buttery, cinnamon tasting cookie that I love to make in the fall.  But, it was perfect for this occasion.  Also, I did sneak into the kitchen after the teachers had been served and snuck a bite.  Guys!  It was just right:  not too dense, perfectly moist and really did taste just like a snickerdoodle cookie!  🙂 update: because this cake was sooooo good, I was hired to make 2 more for a men’s prayer breakfast!  How exciting!!!

Here’s the recipe:(from DozenFlours.com)

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

Yield: It really depends on how big you cut the slices. Traditionally a 9″ Bundt should serve about 12, but if you cut the slices smaller, you can feed about 18 to 24.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and set aside. Preheat oven to 325F.
Here’s the exact way I made the crust: Using a spray product like Pam with Flour (I LOVE this stuff — seriously its changed my life!), generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. Don’t forget the tube, I almost did. Note: If you don’t want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Don’t rush. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.
Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)
Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cake #41 Maple Cream Bundt and a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you!  🙂

Each year when Columbus Day rolls around in the United States, my family begins our time of Thanksgiving.  We start intentionally working at planning acts of gratefulness and thanks at Canadian Thanksgiving, and we celebrate all the way to American Thanksgiving late in November.

This year was no exception and so, I needed to (obviously) bake a cake.  Because it is fall, I thought it would be a good time to break out one of those “fall flavors” I’ve been waiting to try and so, I made this maple cream cake!  And friends – if you ever thought you needed to have pancakes and syrup in the form of a cake – this would be it!  It was moist and syrup-y sweet.  Fantastic.  We loved it!

Here is the recipe. (I found it on Pinterest, but made a few adjustments to make it my own. )

Cake #41 Maple Cream Bundt

For the cake:
¾ cups Canola Or Vegetable Oil
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Maple Extract
3 whole Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Pure Maple Syrup
2-¾ cups Cake Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 Oz)

Frosting recipe
¼ cups Softened Butter
¼ cups Pure Maple Syrup
1 cup Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Maple Extract
1 cup plain whipped cream (optional)
½ cups Chopped Walnuts (for Garnish)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat bundt pan liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, whip oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs together until combined.
In small bowl, stir together sour cream, milk and maple syrup.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
With mixer on low, alternate milk mixture with dry ingredients until everything is just incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl and mix briefly.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, level the top and bake 55 min-1 hour 5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.
Remove from oven and cool in the pan 15 minutes. Poke small 1 inch deep holes into the top (which ends up being the bottom) of the cake and spoon 1/3 of the sweetened condensed milk into the holes and over the visible cake. Let this soak in 15 minutes and then turn cake out of pan onto cooling rack. {You may want to run a knife along the sides to ensure the cake will come out of the pan nicely.}
Poke more small holes {about 2 inches deep} into the top of the cake and spoon the remaining sweetened condensed milk into the holes and over the entire cake so it is completely covered. Let cake sit 1-2 hours so sweetened condensed milk can be absorbed.
Carefully remove cake from cooling rack and place onto cake stand. {It will be sticky!}
For the frosting, whip butter and maple syrup together until combined. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar until completely smooth. Spread frosting over top of cake and down the sides slightly. Top with chopped walnuts.
Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.